Good Business vs Sellable Business: Exit Planning Advice | Henry Wells

Thinking about selling your business, bringing in investment or planning your exit? In this episode of Brave Bold Brilliant, Jeannette Linfoot talks to Henry Wells, board and M&A adviser and founder of Garthway Advisory. They look at why so many deals that start fail to complete, and how better preparation can raise your valuation.

Henry has spent nearly 30 years advising founders, management teams and private equity firms on high-stakes transactions. He explains the gap between having a good business and having a business that is ready for sale, and why owners often find it too late.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE In this conversation, Henry shares: - Why deals that look strong on paper fall apart - The difference between a good business and a sellable business - The hardest truths he has had to tell founders about their own company - How early you should start preparing for a sale or investment - Common valuation myths that surprise business owners - How exit advice changes (and stays the same) across the economic cycle - What it took to leave established firms and launch Garthway Advisory - The one thing he wishes every owner understood before selling

This episode is for founders, entrepreneurs, business owners, management teams and anyone thinking about a business sale, exit or investment round.

ABOUT THE GUEST: HENRY WELLS Henry Wells is a board and M&A adviser with over 30 years of experience as a lawyer, corporate finance adviser and strategic board adviser. He trained and practised as a solicitor before moving into deal-making. He has held senior roles at leading corporate finance firms:

Head of Consumer at Cavendish Group

Head of UK M&A at Duff & Phelps (now Kroll)

Head of Leisure & Retail at Close Brothers Corporate Finance (now DC Advisory)

In 2026, he founded Garthway Advisory, which provides pre-sale strategic advice to private businesses. It helps owners prepare well before they appoint M&A advisers, which reduces the risk of a failed process and improves the valuation and terms they achieve.

🌐 Garthway Advisory: https://garthwayadvisory.com/🔗 Connect with Henry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henryjwells/

ABOUT JEANNETTE LINFOOTJeannette Linfoot is a highly regarded senior executive, property investor, board adviser and business mentor with over 30 years of global business experience across the travel, leisure, hospitality and property sectors. A former corporate CEO turned entrepreneur, she is the founder of Brave Bold Brilliant